A Matter of Memory
by TabbyKat
Summary: OT5 After an accident Ryoma is wandering the streets confused, meanwhile his lovers begin to realize his insecurities. read and review please, i love reviews! WILL EVENTUALLY BE REWRITTEN
1. Prologue

**Like it? Hate it? Keep in mind this is merely the prologue to the actual story. Don't send pointless flames of I just don't like it, but criticism and helpful pointers/suggestions or things you want to happen are more than welcome.**

Ryoma stifled a yawn as he carefully squirmed his way out from his spot in the middle of the bed. He'd ended up in the center of the mattress with two lovers on either side again. He'd fallen asleep on Kunimitsu with Keigo sprawled in the middle as Shusuke covered Genichirou's body with his own, yet somehow they always ended up in the same positions. Kunimitsu would lay on one side with his back facing the wall as he spooned Shusuke to him. He would, more often than not, reach an arm over the Tensai to rest his hand on Ryoma's waist. On the other side of the bed Genichirou would sleep with his back facing the door and an arm over Keigo, who slept on his back, so that his hand rested atop Kunimitsu's.

Ryoma silently stretched, before grabbing his robe and clothes, and headed for the shower. He was sure the four of them were aware of him getting out of bed at this ungodly hour but it seemed none of them had completely woken up which he was pleased about. To be truthful Ryoma wasn't sure if this relationship would last for him. The other four had been together for a year prior to them asking Ryoma to join them 3 months ago. They had dated for about two months, sometimes it led to him joining them for the night and sometimes not, before he'd moved in with them a month back. There was no problem when they had sex, individually or in a group, the problem lay in daily interaction. Other than tennis he had yet to find many common interests with them.

Kunimitsu had loaned Ryoma one of his favorite books, one that would normally have taken an avid reader like Ryoma two days to read had ended up taking nearly two weeks for him to force his way through. He'd never asked for reading material again.

Shusuke had asked Ryoma to be his model for a photography project for school, and while he'd enjoyed kissing Ryoma awake after he'd fallen asleep in the middle of it he hadn't asked him to pose again. Shusuke had then handed him a camera and told him to give it back when he'd used up the film. When the pictures were developed Shusuke's smile was a little strained as he handed Ryoma back 24 pictures of Karupin sleeping in various places.

Genichirou had started teaching Ryoma kendo and while the younger boy wasn't passionate about it like he was with tennis he did excel in it. This seemed to please Genichirou greatly so Ryoma stuck with it as a hobby.

Keigo was the one Ryoma had the most volatile relationship with. They fought at least once a week if not more, and while the make up sex was explosive Ryoma didn't think there was enough between the two to keep them going. Keigo had once tried to impart his fashion sense on Ryoma which had led to their first big argument. Ryoma had sent over half of his new wardrobe to a homeless shelter saying he wouldn't touch anything that looked even remotely close to something Mizuki of St. Rudolph's would consider wearing. Keigo hadn't been angry about where Ryoma had sent the clothes, it was more along the lines of Ryoma leading him to believe he'd destroyed them just to insult his taste in clothes.

Still, there was tennis and he had to admit that there were other subjects they all enjoyed debating on for hours but Ryoma just wasn't sure if it was enough. After all he'd tried several things they were all passionate about but none of them had sough to try anything he was interested in.

Fully dressed in his favorite shorts and shirt Ryoma exited the bathroom and walked over to the bedside table next to Genichirou where his hat had somehow ended up. Before he could pick it up though his left hand was caught by the half asleep Rikkaidai vice captain. He gently pulled Ryoma down for a heated kiss before releasing him.

"Don't wear yourself out before your practice, and don't forget your cell phone." Genichirou whispered as he settled back down.

Ryoma smiled slightly as he grabbed his hat and bag. Despite not knowing what kept them together or if it would last he knew one thing for sure. He wasn't giving them up any time soon. Ryoma had just put on his Regular's Jersey before crouching to give Karupin a goodbye pet. In doing so he didn't notice that his phone fell out of his pocket, having forgotten he'd taken it out of his bag the day before and keeping it in his jacket when he was expecting a call.

It was just after 5am when Ryoma left house heading for the street courts hoping someone with talent would show up so he could ask for a game to work off some of his restlessness. His wish came true in the form of his teammate Kaidoh about twenty minutes after he arrived.


	2. Something is Wrong

**Ok, there was some confusion about the prologue that I hope I cleared up in this chapter. If I didn't, then please read the note at the end and review or email me with comments or questions. As usual reviewers are worshiped and pointless flames of I don't like it will be ignored. Also I know these chapters are shorter than my other fic for those of you following it, but I started this story at least half a year ago and I'm having a little trouble remembering where I was going with it as I am rewriting what I have and just going from there.**

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Thwap, bump, bump. Thwap, bump, bump.

The familiar sound of someone hitting a tennis ball against a wall was soothing to Kaidoh Kaoru's ears though he wondered who else would possibly be at the street courts at 6am on a Sunday. Ascending the stairs the 17 year old found one of the last people he expected to see. Not that it was unusual to see the high school freshman practicing but he didn't think it possible for Echizen Ryoma to be awake at this hour. The sound suddenly stopped successfully snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking at the 16 year old he realized that his kouhai had noticed him.

"Ohayou Kaidoh-sempai." Ryoma greeted sounding wide awake.

Kaidoh simply nodded in response letting out his trademark hiss. He was never sure just what to do about the cocky boy even though they'd known each other for four years. The two of them had never gotten to the point where they were comfortable calling each other by their first name the way they had with others. Ryoma surprisingly was even close enough to some of his rivals, like Ibu Shinji and Kirihara Akaya as well as several others, to be on a first name basis. He supposed it was just natural after all that time though, after all he called Inui by his given name when they were in private, and he'd heard some rumor about how it had taken the four sempai Ryoma was dating weeks to get him to use their names in the first place.

"If you're done running for now, how about playing a practice game with me?" for once Echizen's voice was free of sarcasm and teasing.

Kaidoh looked at him for a moment before agreeing and accepting the spare racket the younger boy offered him. Upon taking position he signaled that Ryoma should serve when ready.

Thwap, bump. Thwap, bump. The rhythm fluctuated but both players lost themselves to the sound and concentrated solely on the game.

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45 minutes later the game count was 5-2 in Echizen's favor but Kaidoh was one point away from making it 5-3. The chance presented itself a minute later when the green haired boy set him up perfectly for his boomerang snake. The shot had become faster and more powerful since junior high. Not one to pass up an opportunity Kaidoh took the shot only to wish he hadn't a split second later. He watched in horror as Echizen tripped, not having realized that one of his shoelaces had snapped, and twisted his body to land on his back. He tried to call out a warning but it was too late. The ball smacked right into the boy's forehead causing the back of his head to hit the pavement harder than it would have from the fall alone.

Kaidoh swore loudly as he ran to the high school freshman's side and checked him over for injury. He wasn't moving, other than the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and his eyes were closed. As far as he could tell the boy was unconscious, but otherwise uninjured causing him to sigh in slight relief. Another thought made its way to the front of his mind as he tried to decide what to do. Tezuka, Fuji, Sanada, and Atobe were going to kill him for injuring their lover. The though made him go white but his attention was swiftly brought back to the freshman as Ryoma groaned and blinked his eyes open. Kaidoh was silently thanking the Gods when the words he hoped never to hear in a situation like this came from the 16 year olds mouth.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

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Back at the Atobe mansion Karupin, Ryoma's cat, suddenly jumped onto the bed yowling at the top of her lungs which woke the four boys who had continued sleeping after the departure of their youngest lover. As Genichirou took the distressed cat into his arms to calm her Shusuke's cell phone rang. Kunimitsu handed it to him with a slight glare at the contraption.

"Shusuke! Has something bad happened? The cards have been pointing towards misfortune and confusion." Yumiko, Shusuke's older sister, said over the phone sounding genuinely worried.

"Ah, nee-san. I don't believe anything has happened. Ryoma's cat is acting strange though." He replied with a smile as he attempted to tickle the squirming and still whining feline under the chin.

"Where is Echizen-kun? I also had a strange dream last night about him being in some kind of danger." His sister continued causing the Tensai's eyes to snap open.

"He left earlier for personal training. What did you see nee-san?" Shusuke asked as he watched Karupin get free and start pawing at Ryoma's pillow still sounding her concern.

"Echizen-kun was standing on a blank background looking at his racket and a picture of you four like he didn't recognize either. Suddenly a several familiar looking shadows came up and loomed over him."

"I see. Nee-san I'm going to try to call him now. Tell me if you sense anything else." Shusuke said before saying goodbye to his sister.

He quickly scrolled for Ryoma's listing on his phone as the others turned to him anxious suddenly to be sure the younger boy was alright.

"I reminded him to take his phone this morning, so he should answer." Genichirou said as he once again gathered Karupin in his arms.

Any answer he might have received was cut off as a loud ringing filled the room from the direction of the door. As one four heads turned to see the aforementioned phone on the floor next to Karupin's bed.

"Suke what's wrong? Ryoma has forgotten his phone before, I'm sure he's just out practicing." Keigo said in a slightly hopeful voice.

"Nee-san says something's wrong and now we can't reach him directly with his phone here. Something feels off today. I need to know he's ok." Shusuke answered grimly.

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**Ok so now that I have the prologue and first chapter out I think I can go back and finish my first story. If you like this one let me know and I'll continue, or if you want I'll work on the other TezuFujiRyo that I haven't started typing yet.**

**Ok here's the answers to the first review the fic received.**

**Timeline and other details. Seniors from the anime are in their final year of High School, meaning their 18. Ryoma is 16 and in his first year at the High School.**

**Tezuka Fuji Sanada and Atobe began their relationship when they were 16 or 17 but became exclusive when they were 17. They have lived together in one of the Atobe mansions since. When Ryoma turned 16 they approached him about his joining them in the relationship. It was briefly mentioned in this chapter that Ryoma is on first name basis with several of his rivals and teammates. They've known each other approximately 4 years and as they seem to be growing closer in the anime, he calls Kawamura Taka-san at least once I think, and Eiji by his name once or more if I remember correctly, if not then please refer to the English translation of the manga where they all call each other by their first names. I think 4 years is more than enough to start calling people by their first names if they are not against it for some reason or another. Plus he's dating those four and I personally think it's kinda wrong to call a guy you're having a serious relationship and sex with by their last name.**


	3. What Do You Mean He's Gone?

_**Hope you like it, cuz my wrist kinda died again while typing this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Most of the phone conversations are written one sided so please don't get too confused.**_

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"Are you alright?" Kaidoh asked hopeful that this was all a joke.

"Who are you? Do you know me?" Ryoma asked in confusion.

Kaidoh stared at him in disbelief. This had to be a joke, but he couldn't see the 16 year old doing something like this for a laugh. Momoshiro sure, maybe Kikumaru, but Echizen didn't play jokes like this. He had to get the boy some help and hopefully help him regain his memories before Ryoma's lovers found out what had happened.

"Fsssh. This isn't good. I have to get you to a hospital or something." the older boy said as his kouhai looked around them in confusion.

Just after helping the younger boy to his feet Kaidoh's cell phone rang causing him to let out an annoyed hiss. Looking at the display screen he saw it was Inui calling him which made his hiss turn into a sigh of relief. After all if anyone would know what to do it would be the data player. Kaidoh flipped the phone open and turned away from Ryoma to get better reception for the call.

"Inui-sempai." Kaidoh said softly indicating that he was not alone.

"Kaoru. I was just wondering where you were. By my calculations you should have reached the river ten minutes ago at the latest, even with a break." Inui responded sounding concerned.

"Ah, there's a slight problem." Kaidoh started telling Inui what had happened but before he'd gotten very far Inui insisted on a play by play of the match.

Meanwhile Ryoma had spotted what he'd been looking for since he woke up. He may not know his name, the name of the strange guy talking on the phone, or even where they were, but he did know what his body was telling him and that there was a sign indicating a washroom at the building a little ways away. Feeling it was rude to interrupt the boy he headed for the washroom without saying anything.

So it was an empty tennis court that Kaidoh found when he turned around to check on Ryoma in the middle of telling Inui about game 4. He nearly dropped the phone in shock.

"Inui-sempai I've got to go." Was all the 17 year old said before he hung up.

"Echizen! Fsssh this had better not be a joke! Echizen!" Kaidoh called out as he took off looking for his younger school mate. Not finding him, and not thinking to check the individual stalls in the bathroom, Kaidoh eventually grabbed Ryoma's bag and rackets before heading off to see if Inui had any advice while he looked for his kouhai on the way. He never noticed the boy's white hat lying under the bench where it had blown after falling off Ryoma's head when he fell.

Ten minutes later Ryoma came out of the washroom looking for the strange hissing boy who had said he would take him to the hospital. He'd heard the boy calling for Echizen earlier, whoever that was. Apparently he'd packed up and left considering that the bag he'd seen after waking up was gone as well. Shrugging to himself he decided to find the hospital on his own, maybe he would find someone to ask on the way. Walking down the stairs Ryoma unknowingly walked in the opposite direction that Kaidoh had gone.

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Twenty minutes later a limousine pulled up to the bottom of the stairs that led to the street courts that Ryoma frequented. Four 18 year old boys piled out and hurried up those stairs only to find the courts deserted. Something white caught the eye of one of them and he crouched to reach under the bench. When he stood back up he was holding a familiar white hat.

"He was here. Damn it he wouldn't have left willingly without his hat!" Keigo burst out his grip on the hat tightening.

"Keigo calm down. I'm sure he's fine. We just have to find him." Genichirou soothed pulling the Hyotei tennis captain to him.

"Where else would he have gone?" Kunimitsu asked as he placed a hand on Shusuke's slightly trembling shoulder.

"Maybe that restaurant he likes to go to with Momoshiro?" Shusuke suggested after a moment of silence.

"Which one was that?" Genichirou asked in confusion, for the life of him he couldn't remember the name of it and from the looks of the others they couldn't either.

"Maybe a pet store? To get something for the cat?" Keigo thought uncertainly out loud.

"What would be open at this time in the morning?" Kunimitsu asked slightly annoyed.

"This is getting us nowhere. Maybe we should call in the rest of your team to help us look Kunimitsu." Genichirou said coming to an alarming conclusion.

Did they really know Ryoma?

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Inui looked at his watch for the fifth time since Kaidoh had hung up on him. Really if he'd had enough time to go into that much detail of the match he'd been playing then the 'slight problem' he'd been about to tell him couldn't have been that big. True he'd never gotten around to telling him what that problem was exactly. He hoped the younger boy was alright. Maybe he should have paid more attention.

Inui didn't have to wonder for much longer because at that point Kaidoh came into view carrying Ryoma's duffel bag.

"What happened to Echizen?" Inui asked coming to an instantaneous conclusion.

"He lost his memory and I lost him." Kaidoh said before explaining to his sempai what had happened.

"Kaoru I think we can classify this as more than a slight problem. There is a 73 chance that Tezuka will have you running laps for the rest of the school year, or longer, before he tries to kill you. Fuji as usual is unpredictable so I have no idea what he'll actually do to you but it won't be pleasant. As for the other two…"

"What do you think they'll do?"

"I can't even imagine. Atobe has enough financial power to do almost anything and Sanada, while frightening enough on his own, has Yukimura backing him and it's said that he can be as bad as Fuji."

"There has to be something I can do Sadaharu-sempai." Kaidoh said desperately.

"I'll help you of course. We just need to find Echizen and get his memory back before they find out. I think we can both handle the extra laps we'll get for missing practice today." Inui stated just before his cell phone went off.

Looking at the display screen he grimaced before going against his instincts and answering it.

"Tezuka… Of course I'll help look… No I'll contact Kaidoh… Yes the restaurant is a good idea… Did you try his house?... No I meant his parents' house… I'll call you if I think of anything else."

"Fsssshh. They know?!" Kaidoh asked horrified after listening to one side of the conversation.

"They can't find him but they don't know what happened. Apparently Fuji's older sister had a strange dream about Echizen being in danger and he left his phone at home when he left early to practice. It's fine. We just need to change our plan slightly. First we need to drop his bag off at the school so no one sees you carrying it. Put your jersey over his name for now and let's go."

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Meanwhile…

"Moshi moshi?" Momoshiro said loudly into his phone to be heard over the yelling red head beside him.

"Oi Momoshiro! Don't ignore me you bastard!" Kamio Akira yelled next to him.

"Buchou?! I'm not late am I? I was on my way when I ran into Fudomine's Kamio and Shinji… What? What do you mean he's missing?! Of course I'll help look… No I'm in front of there now and he's not here… Where else? Let me think… Maybe that new arcade? They just got in a new game he wants to try… Why would he go there? The order he placed for Karupin won't be in for another week… No his parents are away and Nanako-san has her boyfriend over. He wouldn't go there; he doesn't like the guy… I'm surprised none of you knew this; it's really been bothering him lately. In fact he's been pretty vocal about how annoying that guy is… Yeah I'll check. Bye."

"What was that about Momoshiro? Who's missing?" Kamio asked much calmer now that he'd heard the worry in the Seigaku player's voice.

"Ryoma is. The others can't find him anywhere. I gotta go look for him."

"We should look for him too. He's not part of the team but he's a good kid. Actually he can be annoying and he shouldn't be making his sempai's worry about him. he never refuses me a game if he has time though so that's nice of him. I don't mind him really. He always wins though and he never plays against me at his full potential which is also annoying. Tachibana-san will want to hear about this. We should call him. This conversation is getting annoying. We should be out looking for Ryoma already." The blue haired Fudomine player started rambling.

"Shinji!" Kamio yelled,"We'll help you look Momoshiro-kun."

"Why does Ryoma hate his cousin's boyfriend?" Shinji, who had already known who Nanako was, suddenly asked.

"Nanako-san is dating a guy that Ryoma thinks is homophobic. He acts like a total bastard every time he's alone with Ryoma and the guy knows Ryoma is living with four guys. He really turns nasty about it but only if he knows no one else is around so Ryoma has no proof."

"C'mon we should check the arcade, it's close to here." Kamio suggested as the three turned to leave.


	4. Creepy Smile

**_Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! Keep reviewing and send in some suggestions if you want something specific to happen._**

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"Moshi moshi? Ah Tezuka… Yes I'm at the school with Eiji and Taka… What?! How? Where?... Yes of course… Where do you want us to start?... No those are good places to start… We're closer to his parents' house so we'll check there… Momo went to the arcade with Kamio and Ibu?... Yes I heard he wanted to try that game too… No he was talking about it with Eiji the other day, they were supposed to go after practice today… What about the courts that Kachiro's father works at? He's been there a few times and he sometimes helps him coach… Nanako-sans boyfriend? Why would he do anything to Ryoma?... Yes he does strike me as odd and Ryoma has been complaining about how he treats him but I don't think he'd… Yes I can see that… No actually it strikes me more as something else, I can't really put my finger on it… Yes we'll go right now… Try the courts I was talking about." Oishi's conversation into his cell phone had the other two looking at him strangely.

"What's going on Shuichiro? What's this about Ochibi?" Eiji asked as he stepped off the court from his smash practice with Kawamura.

"Ryoma's missing! We need to head to his old house to see if he went there. The others are also looking for him."

"What do you mean Ochibi's missing nya? We have to find him! He could be in trouble or hurt or… or somebody could kidnap him! NYA! Ochibi might be kidnapped! We can't let them Shuichiro!" Eiji yelled becoming slightly hysterical.

"Ryoma's been kidnapped!? Oh No Thank You! We gotta find him baby! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Taka yelled as he came up to them still holding his racket.

"Taka-san we don't know if he's been kidnapped, Eiji was just speculating. Ryoma's just missing right now. I'm sure he's fine… Though it is a possibility considering how much media attention he's had since he started playing in the Grand Slams and if anyone wanted to go after Atobe then Ryoma would be a likely target… We need to find him right away!" Oishi said failing to calm the other two down as he entered a deeper stage of worry himself.

One would think he'd be used to this after all these years or that the team would have matured into more serious students, but fate had decreed otherwise. Sure there had been changes over the four years since the team was completed by Ryoma's entrance, but much was still the same. Taka still burned when he held a racket, Eiji still bounced and jumped to conclusions, Kaidoh still hissed and fought with Momo, Momo still ate far too much and acted a little childish at times, Fuji still smiled and terrorized, Tezuka was still a rock for the most part, Ryoma was still cocky, and Oishi was still a mother hen.

A minute or two later Oishi had his two friends just barely calm enough to set out towards Ryoma's parents' house to see if Nanako had seen their youngest teammate.

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Inui and Kaidoh arrived at the school courts barely missing the other three players by five minutes.

"We're in luck, no one's here yet. Or, most likely, Tezuka already contacted them and they're all out looking for Echizen." Inui said as the two headed for the court lockers/change room to drop off Ryoma's bag.

Once done they headed back to the gate to decide what to do next.

"Where should we look Sadaharu?"

"Let me call the others to see where they are looking. We can cover more ground if all our groups go in different directions." Inui replied then proceeded to make several calls.

"Ok the others are checking specific destinations. Oishi, Kikumaru, and Kawamura are checking Ryoma's house, Momoshiro teamed up with Kamio and Ibu from Fudomine to check the arcade, and Echizen's boyfriends are checking the Seichundai Tennis Club where Kachiro's father coaches. We'll head downtown to see if he's wandering down there. I'll call the local hospitals and clinics on the way to see if he made his way to one of them."

"Sadaharu what if we can't find him? What if he gets on a train?" Kaidoh hissed in fear imagining the things the others would do to him.

Kami-sama forbid. I don't think he would have but he's impossible to predict with no memory, we'll check just in case. We're supposed to keep in contact with the others but its better if you don't talk to them or you might accidentally give something away."

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Even without his memory fully intact Ryoma was not dumb. When he got to a busier place he tried asking people for directions to the hospital. Unfortunately he had only managed to get one couple to talk to him and they had been foreigners who didn't know where it was. Most of the shops in this section of the city weren't open quite yet, so Ryoma was currently sitting on a bench at a bus stop. He figured that if he couldn't get someone to just tell him then maybe he could have someone take him there. He had some money that he'd found in his zippered pocket, he just hoped it was enough. He was slightly startled when someone suddenly sat down next to him.

"Echizen-san how pleasant to meet you here this fine morning." An old man with a creepy smile said.

"Are you talking to me?" Ryoma replied.

"Of course." The old man's smile widened.

"And you are?" Ryoma asked getting the feeling that he shouldn't reveal much to this strange man.

"Of course… I had heard that you tend to forget people that don't interest you. I'm Banji of Yamabuki coach."

"I see." Ryoma said though he wondered what this man coached exactly.

"So are you interested in playing for Yamabuki? The team is even stronger than in middle school, and I can offer you quite a few perks."

"No." was the only word Banji got out of the teen before Ryoma got up and left.

Ryoma sighed to himself as he rounded the corner. First that hissing boy had disappeared after saying he would take him to the hospital and then some creepy old man who wouldn't stop smiling propositioned him to play for some sports team. At least, he hoped it was for a sports team…

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	5. Find and Record

_**Ryoma will make an appearance again in the next chapter, so please don't kill the author. I don't own them so don't sue me either.**_

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Tezuka, Fuji, Sanada, and Atobe were back in the limo heading for the Seichundai Tennis Club that Oishi had mentioned. Atobe and Fuji were both busy making calls on their cell phones while Tezuka watched for Ryoma and Sanada held Karupin. The cat had insisted on going with them, she had latched on to Atobe's pants when he said 'let's go find Ryoma', but they had left her in the limousine when they stopped at the street courts earlier.

"Nee-san have you gotten any new information?.. Ryoma's missing… No we found his hat at the street courts but no one's seen him… No, Karupin hasn't calmed down yet. It's like she's looking for him too… Yes I'll call Yuuta. The more people we have looking the faster we'll find him. Call me if you find out anything. Bye." Fuji looked even more worried when he hung up.

"Look Ore-sama doesn't care how much it's going to cost! You shut down trains, subways, flights, buses, and taxis until he's found! If someone has him I don't want them getting anywhere!" Atobe nearly yelled into his own phone.

He'd already gotten the police to agree to set up road blocks at all city exits in an earlier phone call, and was now shutting down public transportation. He'd called the private investigators that were on the Atobe payroll earlier and emailed them the picture Fuji had on his cell phone; Fuji had been the only one who'd managed to capture a picture of Ryoma.

"Kunimitsu what was your player saying about Nanako's boyfriend?" Sanada asked.

"Momoshiro said that Nanako's boyfriend despises Ryoma because of his relationship with us. The man is apparently homophobic but he puts on an act for Nanako. However Oishi seemed to be implying otherwise." Tezuka replied sounding worried.

"Yuuta… Listen, Ryoma is missing… No we checked there, all we found was his hat… Yes I know… We need help finding him. Our team is out looking as well as some of Fudomine but the more people searching the faster we should be able to find him. Will you help?.. Thank you, keep in touch." Fuji's phone conversation interrupted Tezuka and Sanada's discussion.

"Does anyone know where her boyfriend is? What if he's made a move against Ryoma?" Sanada continued.

"Oishi, Kikumaru, and Kawamura are on the way to see Nanako; I'm sure they'll ask." Tezuka replied.

"NO! Ore-sama will repeat his self one last time. I DON'T CARE WHAT IT COSTS! JUST FIND HIM!" Atobe finished his phone conversation by yelling at whoever was on the line.

"Genichirou, Keigo, will your teams help look?" Fuji asked turning to the two of them.

"Ore-sama's team is on vacation. A cruise that Ore-sama provided for them as a treat. Even if it turns towards shore now it will be several days before they get back here." Atobe stated.

"Several of my team are also away but I'm sure the rest will help. I'll call Seiichi to start off with." Sanada replied taking out his own phone.

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Momo, Akira, and Shinji just barely managed to duck out of the brawl that was going on in the arcade.

"Momoshiro! This is all your fault! If you hadn't been hitting on that girl none of this would have happened." Akira shouted as the three ran down the street.

"My fault?! No way! I wasn't hitting on her either; I was just asking her and her friends if they'd seen Ryoma. I've seen them at all the games we play. Besides her boyfriend didn't start throwing things until after you started laughing at his hairdo!" Momo shot back.

"It was rather strange to see someone of his build with a spiked rainbow colored Mohawk. Really one should take care of their hair and find a style that suits them best. It is his hair though so I suppose it is his choice. Unless he was dared to do that. He should really be careful about the dares he accepts…"

"SHINJI!" Momo and Akira yelled in unison.

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Oishi winced as Eiji wailed yet again coming up with another strange, highly unlikely, scenario that he thought his favorite kouhai might be experiencing. The teams vice captain hadn't seen his lover this distraught since his mother had taken his teddy bear, Kumano Daigorou, to wash it without telling him.

As it was Oishi had already confiscated Kawamura's racket to calm him down, or at least to make him manageable. It wasn't that he wasn't worried about Ryoma, he was very much, it was just that he had his hands full keeping Eiji from jumping everyone they passed to interrogate them on whether or not they'd kidnapped his 'Ochibi'.

"Eiji you need to calm down. We don't want to panic Nanako and we're almost at the house." Oishi tried.

"Uwaaa! Shuichiro you're right, we can't make poor Nanako worry!" Eiji yelled in Oishi's ear.

"Meino-san will be frantic, especially with Ryoma's parents out of the country." Kawamura added fearfully.

"We have to try and play this down." Oishi whispered helplessly as they approached the door and knocked.

"Ara? Ah, Oishi-san, Kikumaru-san, Kawamura-san. How pleasant to see you again. Please come in." Nanako said as she opened the door and moved to allow them into the house.

"Ohayou Nanako-san, and please call us by our names as we've asked before." Oishi said politely.

"Come in, make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you some tea or anything?" she replied with a smile.

"No thank you." All three responded looking a little uncomfortable.

"What can I do for you?"

"Um, we were just wondering if you've seen or heard from Ryoma today." Oishi asked.

"No not for a few days. Why? Is something wrong?" the girl sounded concerned.

"No, not really." Oishi stalled trying to come up with a reason that they would have asked.

"Practice was cancelled today so Ryoma went off on his own for personal training. He forgot his cell phone and we kind of need to get a hold of him." Kawamura said suddenly coming up with a quick excuse.

The other two boys stared at him in a moment of awed wonder.

"Oh. Well good luck then. When Ryoma-san doesn't want to be found he rarely can be. He's quite good at ending up in places you wouldn't think to look for him. If he calls or I see him I'll tell him to call you." Nanako said with a look of very slight disbelief.

"Thank you Nanako-san. We'll be going now." Eiji said somberly looking ready to burst into tears.

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"Fssshh."

"Kaoru don't worry. There is nearly a 25 percent chance that we will find him before the others." Inui replied to the worried hiss.

"Nearly 25 percent Sadaharu? That estimation is not up to your normal standards. Either you're worried about Echizen or there is something more going on here than the other know about." A new voice interrupted.

"Renji." Inui stated without turning around even as Kaidoh jumped slightly.

"Sadaharu. What's going on? Why do you _need_ to find Echizen before the others?" the Rikkaidai data specialist asked.

"Kaidoh, we can trust him to help us." Inui whispered as the younger boy tensed.

"Renji who else is looking?" Inui asked turning back to his friend who had, despite his insatiable need for all knowledge, respected their privacy.

"Atobe's team is out of town as are most of our members. The only ones available to join in the search when Sanada called were Yukimura, Kirihara, and I. Now please explain what is going on."

"As Kaidoh put it earlier when he told me, Echizen lost his memory and he lost Echizen. I'll explain as we walk. It's important that we find him fast." Inui responded after receiving an almost imperceptible affirmative from his kouhai.

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"Ne, Kouya." A young man said to his twin as he stared across the street.

"What is it Keita?" the other responded as he fiddled with a small video camera.

"Isn't that the kid sempai said we're all supposed to be looking for?" the first said as he pointed to a teenager with green black hair who looked a little lost.

"Nice spot Keita! We'll be full investigators in no time. Maybe Atobe-sama will even give us a raise." The second man replied.

The two started trailing the teenager, trying to record his every move without being noticed.

"Ne Kouya."

"What is it now Keita?"

"Are you sure the code sempai sent us with the picture of this kid means find and record?"


	6. LOVER?

_**Italics during the story are things said in English in this chapter. **_

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"Hajime-sempai." Yuuta's voice was anxious as Mizuki finally picked up his cell phone.

"Yes Yuuta? What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Echizen anywhere? You've been downtown for over an hour and he's apparently missing. Aniki and the others think someone might have grabbed him since they found his hat." Yuuta explained quickly.

Fuji Yuuta was not blind and he was not dumb either. He knew perfectly well just how manipulative the team manager was but he also knew his habits better than he did Ryoma's. He also knew that barring unforeseen conditions Mizuki would keep sight of Ryoma even if the younger boy pushed him away. Yuuta also knew that his older brother had secretly bugged Mizuki's cell phone to send a warning to their own phones if he got within a certain range of one of them. They could use this same chip to track his phone which he was never without.

"Echizen is missing? How tragic. I haven't seen him but I'll keep my eyes open." Mizuki said and promptly hung up.

Yuuta smiled in satisfaction as he headed out of the dorms to begin his own search.

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'So the brat Tensai was missing was he? Depending on the circumstances this could work out well in his favor. If Echizen wanted to get away from his boyfriends and had just taken off there was a possibility that he could convince him to join St. Rudolph's.

Ahah! Speak of the devil. Here he comes running up the street now.

"Echizen! Wait up!" Mizuki called out as he approached the frightened looking boy.

"Are you talking to me?" the younger boy asked coming to a halt. This wasn't the first time today that someone had addressed him as such so he assumed it must be his name.

"Who else but you?" Mizuki countered in slight annoyance.

"You know me? Who are you?"

"What do you mean do I know you? Of course I do!" Mizuki was truly annoyed now.

"Do you know where the hospital is? The hissing boy said he would take me there but he left. The smiling old man was too creepy to ask, and the lady I just ran into a few minutes ago, I think she was crazy. She kept hitting on me and shoving her big breasts near my face so I ran." Ryoma answered innocently puzzled.

"Hospital? What..? Ryoma have you lost your memory?" Mizuki asked as inspiration struck.

"I think so. Would I need to ask if I hadn't? So, who are you and where is it?" Ryoma demanded showing a small streak of his old self.

"Oh my poor lover." Mizuki burst out acting devastated even as he grinned inside.

"LOVER!!" Ryoma shouted causing several people on the street to turn and look, some blushing while others confused and a little disgusted.

"Yes darling. We've been living together for the past three months. Come with me Ryo-koi we'll get you some breakfast, I can hear your stomach grumbling, and then I'll take care of you my sweet." Mizuki gushed and grabbed him with a gleam in his eyes that made the boy uneasy.

"Oi make up your mind on my name already! First you called me Echizen like the other two, then Ryoma, now it's Ryokoi? What am I a fish? You still haven't told me your name by the way." Ryoma growled as he struggled his way out of the other boy's arms.

"Ryoma don't be like that. You're not your usual self at all today. Your last name is Echizen and your first name is Ryoma. I call you Ryo-koi because of my feelings for you. I can't believe you can't remember me. After all we've shared together! You were on your way to meet me today to sign the forms that would transfer you from your school so that you could be with me at St. Rudolph's. What could have happened to you?! You've always been so sweet and quiet, oh my poor Ryoma! You really don't remember me?" Mizuki cried out laying it on thickly as he grabbed Ryoma's wrist and led him towards a café.

They were both blissfully unaware that they were being videotaped.

"I already said I don't! Hmph. Am I really that different?" Ryoma asked suddenly unsure of himself.

" It's ok Ryo-koi, I understand. By the way my name is Mizuki Hajime, you normally call me Hajime or koibito."

"Hajime..?" Ryoma tested out the name with an almost unnoticeable grimace.

"Yes love?"

"Why aren't we going to the hospital?"

"You're hungry right?"

"I guess but…"

"No buts Ryo-koi, I'm going to make sure you eat first." Mizuki said as he stalled trying to think of how to get him to sign the transfer forms he always kept with him.

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"So the back of his head bounced off the ground after the ball hit him?" Renji asked as the three of them entered a busier part of the city.

"Yes that's right. If his boyfriends ever find out…" Kaidoh started with a shiver.

"We'll find him Kaidoh." Inui responded placing a hand on his kouhai's shoulder.

"Actually even if we don't find him first and supposing he remembers what led to his state of amnesia when he gets his memory back, not everyone remembers the cause by the way, we could argue that there was a 43.3 percent chance that his head would have impacted hard enough to cause this without your shot." Renji added with a slight smile which disappeared when Inui spoke next.

"That's assuming they let us live long enough to argue."

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"Nanako-chan." A soft male voice whispered in her ear as strong arms drew her back against a broad chest.

"Hai Taro-kun?"

"You're tense. Are you worried about something? What's on your mind babe?"

"Ryoma-san is missing. His friends tried to make light of it but they wouldn't have come if something wasn't wrong. I'm worried that something has happened to him." Nanako said leaning back against him.

"You're little cousin is missing?" the man repeated as his eyes took on a frightening glint.

"Yes. I know you two don't always get along but will you please help me find him?"

"Don't worry babe. I'll find him for you. Besides, he and I called a truce yesterday." Taro whispered with a smile as his girlfriend turned in his arms and buried her face into his shoulder hugging him back.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me that you two get along." She said sincerely.

"Trust me baby. I'll find him."

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"Shusuke something is wrong!"

"What is it nee-san?" Fuji asked into his phone as his eyes, which hadn't closed since they found Ryoma's hat, widened in fear.

"The cards and the vision have changed. The tarot cards are now pointing towards confusion and disaster, as well as clarity after the disaster. I took a small nap a half hour ago to see if the dream had changed. Two of the five shadows were gone but two of the others had grown larger and more menacing while the last seemed to be trying to wrap itself around Echizen-kun."

"Have you gotten any impression on where he is?" Fuji asked almost desperately.

"Nothing really, but every time I try right now I get a sweet smell and a feeling of annoyance."

"Thank you Yumiko nee-san."

Tezuka hung up his own phone at the same time a Fuji and they both shook their heads sadly.

"Oishi and Inui report that they haven't found anything yet. Momo says that both Tachibana siblings have joined his group but that they also haven't found anything."

"Seiichi says that he and Akaya haven't found anything either. Renji has joined your Inui and Kaidoh." Sanada supplied.

There was only silence as they pulled up to the tennis club. Once again they piled out of the limousine leaving Karupin with the driver who, they had discovered earlier, adored the cat and was responsible for at least 1/3rd of the new toys she'd received since coming to the mansion. The four of them practically thundered onto the grounds looking for either their missing lover or Kachiro's father. They found the latter only after sprinting around the establishment at least three times.

"Kato-san." Sanada called first as they all quickly caught their breath.

"Hai? Ah Ohayougozaimasu. You're the boys that came here to practice with Echizen-kun that time. How are you all? I trust Echizen-kun is well." The coach said with a grin.

"Ah… Have you seen Ryoma today?" Fuji burst out.

"No, he's not due today. Not until Wednesday actually. You might try th…" the adult was interrupted as by a tennis ball bouncing into the middle of the group.

Tezuka snatched the ball in mid bounce as a little girl of about eight or nine with blonde pigtails came towards them in a wheelchair with a racket in her lap.

"Sorry! I think I forget snap my wrist like Ryoma show me." She said in choppy Japanese with a Canadian accent.

"It's ok. Here's the ball." Atobe said as he took it and handed it to her.

"_Hey! I recognize you guys! Aren't you friends of Ryoma?!"_ she suddenly said in English.

_"Yes, do you know him well?"_ Sanada replied in the same language.

"This is Holly, she's one of the disabled children Echizen-kun helps me teach, I don't speak English very well and some of the students are foreign so he's a great help." Kato-san explained.

_"Ryoma's really great! He takes me and the others out for ice cream and stuff after practice. He took us for karaoke last week and we made him sing all sorts of things. It was so funny!" _the girl went on.

_"Really?"_ Fuji said unsurely.

They hadn't known anything about this. Only that Ryoma was late getting home sometimes, always saying that he'd had a late practice.

"_Have you seen Ryoma today Holly-chan?_" Atobe asked smoothly. It surprised people again and again that Atobe had a bit of a soft spot for young kids. He spoiled them rotten if he was allowed.

_"Nope but he promised to take me to the beach tomorrow."_

_"Holly-chan, we have to go now but I have one more question for you."_ Fuji said as he crouched to her level.

_"What is it? You guys speak English almost as good and Ryoma does."_

_"How did you know we were friends of Ryoma's? You said you recognized us."_ Fuji asked as he smiled gently with his eyes closed.

_"Ryoma showed me a picture of you four and his cat. He said it was a picture of people who were very important to him. I asked him if you were going to be with him forever and he said he wasn't sure, but he thought he'd like to be."_ the girl replied solemnly.


	7. Ice Water

**_Bold during the story, this chapter at least, is the other person in a phone conversation, if that makes any sense._**

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Ryoma was extremely annoyed. First the hissing boy had abandoned him, and then a creepy old man had freaked him out, then there was that woman wearing the red spandex pants with a yellow top and glasses that had hit on him while talking about her masterpieces and how she still wanted to make him into her ultimate one. That had sent him running. If he ever got to a hospital he thought he might send the psych ward after her. However listening to the maniac sitting beside him he doubted that he would get to the hospital anytime soon. This nut claimed to be his boyfriend and while he didn't feel repulsed at the thought of having a male date he very much hoped it was not this guy.

"What's the matter Ryo-koi, you're not eating your breakfast?"

"It doesn't smell right. I don't think this is what I eat." Ryoma replied wrinkling his nose. He didn't know how he knew, but it just didn't look right and he wasn't so sure he even wanted to try this stuff.

"It's pancakes, eggs, and croissants. Breakfast food. Just try it, you love this stuff." Mizuki said in frustration. After all, who didn't eat this stuff for breakfast occasionally?

Ryoma glared at him as he put a small piece of pancake in his mouth and grimaced. It was so dry and bland.

"Not like that. Here put syrup on it." Mizuki said with a laugh as he absolutely drenched the plate and food in the sticky topping.

Ryoma gagged on the bite he took this time and downed the glass of milk in front of him. This taste brought to mind a brief glimpse of a man with spiky black hair and glasses which hid his eyes that for some reason made him shiver in fear.

"Aw Ryo-koi you're so cute." Mizuki sighed as he wrapped his arm around the younger boy's shoulders as Ryoma picked up his glass of ice water still trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

"You actually eat this stuff? It went from nearly no taste to sickeningly sweet… what the hell are you doing?"

"I want a kiss. You have syrup on your lips and I just can't resist." Mizuki said as he secretly thought,'Hah, take that Fuji Shusuke, I'll beat you by taking your boyfriend.'

Ryoma calmly turned towards the boy who was leaning in and reached for the hem of the older boy's jeans. With his face still expressionless he pulled the hem away from the boy's body and dumped the ice water he was holding down his pants.

"GYAAAA WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR? DAMMIT IT'S COLD!" Mizuki yelled as Ryoma slid out of the booth and made for the door.

There was no way in hell he could be dating someone who would make a pass at him when they knew he'd lost his memory. This guy was just as crazy as the last two. Ryoma ran out the door and up the street even as Mizuki was running for the washroom. Good grief, a hissing deserter, a crazy old man, a creepy old perverted woman, and now a deranged bastard who couldn't keep his hands to himself. What else could he run into today?

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"Oi Momoshiro." Akira called out as he, Shinji, Kippei and Ann ran behind him down the street.

"What is it Kamio?" Momo called back over his shoulder.

"Why are we going to your school? What makes you think he might be there? We've already checked the arcade and all those restaurants you said he liked." Kamio called back.

"I don't know, I just think that we should double check. Even if Ryoma did take off for some reason on his own I can't see him staying away from tennis, especially the school team, for long. He'd get bored and go somewhere to play." Momo explained.

"Ano if someone took him it might not be a message to the Atobe family. It could be a rival team that doesn't want Seigaku to play against them, so there might be a message at the school courts." Ann piped up.

"They must be truly despicable to do something like that. We would never do anything like that. That's something the sempai from middle school would have done. They definitely would have. We should hurry and find him. Something might have happened. Especially if Ryoma flips out. He told me what happened in second grade on the basketball team. I can't believe he beat up all of his sempai. If he's still that strong the people who took him are in trouble. He really hates dirty tricks…"

"SHINJI!" Tachibana Kippei yelled as they entered the grounds of the high school.

It didn't take long for them to get to the courts and upon seeing no one and nothing strange there they headed into the changing room which Oishi had forgotten to lock up in his haste.

"Isn't that… This is Ryoma's bag. What's it doing here when he's missing? Buchou will want to hear about this." Momo said taking out his cell phone.

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"HORA HORA BURNING!!! WHERE'S ECHIZEN? YOU KNOW SOMETHING DON'T YOU, YOU ANNOYING BRAT!"

"Taka-san! You can't just accuse people like that! I'm very sorry about this; he's just worried about a friend of ours that is missing Aoi-san." Oishi apologized trying to extract the Rokkaku player, he wasn't the captain of the high school team this year, from Kawamura's grip.

"What's this? Echizen is missing? I assure you I don't know anything about it, but I'll definitely help you look. You might want to stop Kikumaru-san from interrogating that older couple first though." Kentarou said in his normal loud voice.

"Wha… Eiji no!"

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"Momoshiro… have you found anything yet..? What do you mean it's there? Why would his tennis bag be at the school?" Tezuka said into his cell phone as the other three stared at him.

"Ryoma's bag is at the school? Have they checked for him everywhere? The washrooms, the court, the school? Is there any sign of a struggle?" Fuji asked quickly.

"Momoshiro did you hear all of that..? You checked and there's nothing at all..? What about his jersey? Is it there? What about a note? Wait I'm putting you on speaker phone." Atobe asked as he grabbed the phone.

"**Nothing at all. His bag is here but there's no other sign of him. I almost wonder if someone else put it here, it's not in his normal spot or anything.**" Momo's voice sounded hollow as it came through the tiny phone.

"I see. Could you check the bag for anything strange like a note or, I hate to say it, a bloody piece of clothing. Under the circumstances I don't think Ryoma will mind." Genichirou said a little hesitantly.

"**I understand.**" Momo said before the sound of a zipper and rustling came over the line.

"**Takeshi there's no sign of anything at Ryoma-kun's locker. We also checked his homeroom desk and there's no note or anything like that. All his stuff is still there.**" Ann's voice came over the phone loud and clear.

"**Buchou, there's nothing here. Just his usual stuff; rackets, books, snacks, the usual.**"

"I see. Momoshiro, stay there just in case he comes back. We should have left someone there to begin with."

"**Got it Buchou. I'll let you know if anything happens.**"

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"Dammit watch where you're going! Huh? What's this? Echizen you little brat…" the young man cursed as he grabbed the boy, who'd knocked into him, by the front of the shirt and hauled him up close to his face.

"Are you going to go nuts on me too? Who are you?" Ryoma asked a little fearfully.

"Bastard at least remember my name after you did such things to my family! Sasabe! My name is Sasabe you little punk!"

"Ok, whatever. Are you going to let me go anytime soon?" Ryoma asked a little flippantly.

"No. I'm going to take my revenge and bash your face in!"


	8. Little Kitten

_**Ok, normal disclaimer, I don't own it don't sue me. Café Madu is an actual Café in Tokyo, I've never been but I looked it up on the web, it's not where Mizuki took Ryoma but I had to have some name to insert in there. Anyways, sorry it took me so long to update, I've become a florist and I got the job just before easter so I hit right in the busy season. I've had no time to really think about writing much, sorry. Now though it should have died down to normal, other than all the funerals and weddings but those you can't predict. Sorry, I'm rambling. On with the story, and remember if you kill me for not updating then the story will never go on.**_

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_**Warning, Yukimura and Kirihara will be ooc. I've seen the entire season and the first few national championship episodes, I have up to #17 of the manga books but it doesn't have much of their characters. If anyone could help me with them I'd be grateful. And I'm willing to rewrite that bit of the chapter.**_

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Ryoma flinched and tried to back away as the older boy holding him by the shirt raised his other arm with a clear intention of hitting him. The blow never came though and he slowly opened his eyes as a new voice spoke.

"Che… you're more annoying than the brat you're holding there. Why not pick a fight with someone a little closer to your size shit face?" a boy with longish spiky grey hair growled out as he squeezed Sasabe's captive wrist a little harder.

"Who the hell are you?! Let me go bastard! This isn't any business of yours, it's between me and this little monster." Sasabe managed to grind out between clenched teeth which were a clear sign of the pain the other was inflicting.

The grey haired boy simply grinned and put even more pressure into his grip making the older boy release Ryoma as he tried not to double over in pain.

"Name's Akutsu. And I'm making it my business. Get lost Gaki, I'll take care of this annoyance."

"But…"

"I said get lost Echizen, unless you'd rather I let him beat you to a bloody puddle!"

Ryoma did the only thing he could right then, he ran.

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"Why would Ryoma not be sure that we were going to stay together?!" Atobe grumbled more out of anger than curiosity. It was just too silent in the limo right then and they all knew they had things to clear up.

"Do I really have to answer that after today?" Fuji replied dangerously.

"We need to calm down. We all know that we don't know Ryoma as well as we thought. What I want to know is how we didn't realize this before, and where the hell he is." Sanada said trying to subtly continue the subject.

"He's unsure because we've made no real effort to know him beyond what we saw. He's tried and put up with several things from each of us, but we've never done the same for him. If we had we would know his favorite restaurant and games. We would know what was bothering him, maybe even why he lef…" Tezuka faltered as he started to say that last word.

"I won't believe that he left us. He didn't! Something must have happened to him. And after this I am never letting him out of my sight again." Fuji growled.

"Agreed." Sanada whispered into Karupin's fur as he hugged the cat, their living reminder of their missing lover.

"Where do we go next? We can't just wander idly and hope to find him." Atobe spoke up.

"What about the court he and I used to challenge each other on in middle school? I used to find him there on occasion when he was confused about something." Tezuka suggested.

"The one the sky train passes?" Fuji asked and received a nod.

"Lets go."

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"Hey Oishi-san! Isn't that one of the St. Rudolph players?!" Kentarou asked loudly pointing at Mizuki who had just exited a restaurant up the street.

"Aoi-kun could you lower your voice just a bit please? I think we've frightened enough people today." Oishi said wincing as his ears were assaulted by the loud voice next to him.

"Pardon? We should go ask him if he's seen Echizen-kun."

"Yeah! We need to ask everybody. You never know who's seen O'chibi. Let's go!" Eiji practically shouted as he grabbed the Rokkaku player by the wrist and took off running.

"Oi Mizuki-san!" Eiji shouted as the two caught up to the boy.

"Do you want something?" Mizuki snapped.

"Calm down. We just want to ask if you've seen Echizen Ryoma anywhere today." Oishi said as he hurried up to them with a racketless Taka in tow.

"Echizen… who the hell do you think did this to me!? No, I don't know where he went either." Mizuki ground out before storming off after they'd caught a glimpse of his very wet pants.

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"Hey! You two are on the same team as Echizen Ryoma right?" Kajimoto called out addressing Inui and Kaidoh who were still searching with Renji.

"Indeed. Have you seen him today by chance?" Inui asked smoothly as he sized up the Jyosei high school tennis captain.

"Personally no; but our school coach Hanamura-sensei did. I was hoping you knew what he said to her, she's still sputtering nonsense from the encounter." Kajimoto replied looking slightly annoyed.

"We haven't seen him all day. Did your coach happen to mention where she ran into him?" Inui queried.

"Can't you get a hold of him?" the tennis captain asked in confusion.

These were after all two of the brat's teammates, one being an incessant data gatherer who should know ways to contact each of his own players, the other had never seemed close to the boy whenever their schools played each other but was all around protective of his team. These two shouldn't really have to ask him where their teammate was.

"Fssh! That's not the point! He asked you a perfectly reasonable question. Where did your coach see Echizen?" Kaidoh burst out revealing just how stressed the situation was making him.

"Well if you're going to be that way about it… wait. Something's wrong isn't it?" The Jyosei player suddenly caught on.

"We simply misplaced him with no way to contact him. Nothing to worry about. Now will you please tell us where she saw him?" Inui insisted downplaying the problem.

"If you're sure. She ran into him near 'Café Madu' on Kotto street, but I was able to get her to tell me that he took off pretty fast."

"Thank you. Kaidoh, Renji, we're going to Kotto street."

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Kirihara Akaya would never admit it out loud to anyone but his captain and vice captain, but he was worried about Ryoma. Thankfully it was his captain that he was walking with looking for the missing teen. He and Ryoma had really become close over the last couple of years. The boy had been the first to reach out to him and show the other players that he wasn't a red eyed devil anymore. He wasn't always nice, but he wasn't about to hurt anyone without good reason now. His attitude however seemed to play off Ryoma's quite well and he found he didn't mind the teasing insults the younger boy occasionally threw. They weren't serious and he could dish them out just as well as he could take them. At first they'd just sporadically met at the street courts and played each other. That had gradually led to them grabbing a bite to eat after and from there they just seemed to become more and more comfortable with one another. Akaya knew things not even Ryoma's teammates knew. He knew all about him coaching handicapped kids at the private courts. He knew that Nanako's boyfriend seriously scared Ryoma, that the man had actually tried to run him down in his car once and that he had tried to get rid of Ryoma's cat once as well. That incident is what led to Ryoma insisting Karupin never return to his parents' house so long as Nanako was dating that bastard. Now if Ryoma went somewhere with his boyfriends Akaya got to cat-sit since the feline had only taken to select staff who normally either went with the boys or had the same time off.

Akaya smiled at that thought. He really liked the cat and Ryoma was hilarious to watch when he was saying goodbye to her.

"…aya… Akaya… hey quit daydreaming Akaya. I've been trying to catch your attention for five minutes. I know you're worried but we need to keep our eyes open if we want to find him. Rou is counting on us to find Ryoma." Yukimura said as he casually draped an arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

"Sorry Seii-sama. I was just remembering a few things. Hey, isn't that the jackass who played for Yamabuki Jr High for part of Ryoma's first season? The one that likes to beat people up?"

"Where? Oh, what was his name Akatsa or something?" Yukimura asked. He vaguely remembered Sanada mentioning the boy as no threat.

"Something like that. That guy he's beating on looks kind of familiar too. I think he's come up to Ryoma a few times when I was with him to annoy him. Sasabe I think. Hey, now I remember the other guy. That's Akutsu Jin." Kirihara replied.

"Well, shall we interrupt and ask him if he's seen Genichirou's little lost kitten?" Yukimura said lightly not letting go of the younger boy.

"Only if you don't ask him in those words. If Ryoma ever found out we knew Genichirou-sempai calls him that in private he'd commit triple homicide."

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	9. Let This Happen

**Finally I'm done. It's my longest chapter in this story so far. As for the next chapter that might take a while because I've been trying to switch back and forth a chapter on this and a chapter on Ghost Hunt, and I'm going to be pet sitting away from home this weekend and the week or so after that. So I won't be at my computer much. Sorry.**

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Ryoma was really sick of running today. No, not just running, he was just plain sick and tired of crazy people making him run or walk away. All he wanted was to get to a hospital so that they could help him remember his life and instead he'd been abandoned by a boy who hissed a lot, then creeped out by what he thought was a perverted old man. That had been followed by him being molested by either a crazy lady or a whore (he couldn't decide which she was), then mistreated and nearly kissed by a nut claiming to be his boyfriend. Then, as if that hadn't been bad enough, he'd been harassed by a guy who'd wanted to beat him up, only to be saved by a tough looking guy who told him to run away. Somehow they'd all seemed to know who he was but other than a name he knew nothing about himself. All in all Ryoma came to one conclusion. This day really sucked. That decided he slowed himself down to a walk and looked around curious to see if he recognized anything.

He didn't really expect that he would, so he was surprised, enough so to stumble to a stop, when he looked across the street at a sushi restaurant that brought a face flashing across his mind. It was gone before he could place it though, so he studied the building more carefully. Kawamura Sushi. Sushi… the word brought to mind a kind gentle meek looking face which a moment later contorted into an aggressive fierce looking boy. It was confusing though because it was the same face and both felt to him like they belonged. Like they were something he was used to but it made no sense to him. Shaking his head he turned away and started walking again. The place was closed at the moment anyway. He pondered as he walked just what that face might mean to him. Was it someone he was often with? A rival? Maybe, but in what? Or could that flash of a face possibly be the male lover he was supposed to be with? It was all confusing and all getting him nowhere fast.

Something to his left caught his eye and he turned to look. It was an electronics shop with a television in the window which had a basketball game on. He stopped in time to see an athlete slam dunk the ball and received another dizzying flash from his memory. A tall lithe boy with sinewy muscles and spiky black hair was jumping into the air with something in his hand. He was reaching for something and Ryoma felt himself smile though he was unsure why. Ryoma tried to hold onto the memory this time but the purple eyed boy slipped away just as fast as the last memory had. It was almost infuriating now, glimpses of people he knew but didn't know, things he remembered but didn't at the same time. He knew all these people meant something to him, but for the life of him he didn't know what or why. He quickly wiped away the tear that was threatening to fall from the frustration he felt, knowing that crying would do him no good. He had to keep going. He didn't know what was driving him anymore but something was telling him to just keep going. Maybe if he found enough things to jog his memory he might fully remember what he'd forgotten, or at least remember something significant like an address he could go to find help. Anything was better than staying in one spot and feeling sorry for himself, he decided just as a convertible came to a stop next to where he stood.

"Yo, Ryoma. What are you doing wandering around and making your cousin Nanako worry like this." The man at the wheel said lowering his sunglasses.

"Do I know you? Or better yet do you know how to get to the nearest hospital?" Ryoma asked tiredly. He was really sick of people not answering that question.

"What do you mean do you know me? I'm your cousin's boyfriend, Taro. Now come on and get in. She's worried sick about you. Don't worry I'll take you to wherever you need to go." The man said in a deceptively nice tone as he slipped his sunglasses back on to hide the glint in his eyes.

Ryoma hesitated unsure of why his instinct was telling him to be cautious while his common sense was telling him to get in the car. Taro leaned over and opened the door from the inside with a welcoming smile and motioned for him to get in.

"You'll take me to the hospital?" he asked unsure of what to believe.

"Yeah, of course. Wherever you need to go. C'mon kiddo we're wasting time."

Still fighting his irrational instinct to run Ryoma got into the passenger's seat and shut the door. He'd just done up his seatbelt as the car was pulling back out into traffic when he heard someone shout behind him.

"NO! RYOMA DON'T GO WITH HIM HE'S DANGEROUS!"

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"Was I seeing things or did Mizuki have very wet pants?" Oishi asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah, nya. He looked like he pissed himself. Did Ryoma make him pee his pants?" Eiji said just as confused.

"Why would Echizen do that?" Kentarou asked loudly.

"Echizen can be as frightening as Fujiko on the courts when he wants to be, but he seemed to be coming out of that restaurant; what could Echizen have done to him in there?" Kawamura queried quietly.

"We can ask that later. Right now we need to decide which direction to head in to look for him." Oishi commanded as he shook his head to get his mind back on topic.

Before any of the others could give an opinion Eiji grabbed Oishi by his arm and started dragging him in the opposite direction that Mizuki had taken.

"It's this way! I can feel it. O'chibi would have gone this way!"

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"Fssshhhhh…" Kaidoh hissed in worried frustration.

"We will find him Kaidoh. You shouldn't worry too much." Inui tried to reassure him.

"Now that we have a general starting area our chances of finding him first have increased to 39.7 percent. That is better than what we had five minutes ago. We should cut down this alley and the two after it; it's a shortcut to Kotto Street. It will decrease our travel time by at least fifteen minutes." Renji supplied as he pointed the other two towards the alley he'd suggested.

"Sempai… what if something really bad _has_ happened to him?" Kaidoh asked suddenly. Ryoma might not have been his best friend but he was a teammate and he had to admit that the kid had some redeeming qualities. They'd never gotten close to one another because they both understood that their personalities just weren't compatible in that way. Kaidoh liked silence when he jogged because he liked to think, whereas Ryoma tried to get him to talk if they were running together. Whether it was just egging him on trying to make it a competition or just whatever popped into the boy's head Kaidoh found it annoying. Still he didn't wish any harm to Ryoma, and he was a _teammate_. That meant he was someone to be protected, even more so since he was a kouhai. Kaidoh was willing to fight to protect anyone he thought worth it and his team was definitely worth it.

"Kaidoh… Kaoru… I'm sure he's fine. He's got too much luck and about as many lives as that cat of his. We'll find him and we'll get him help." Inui stopped Kaidoh and made him look into his eyes as he said this so that he could see just how sincere he was.

"Besides there is a 100 percent chance that Sadaharu won't let your teammates kill you for this. He is just as protective of you as I have observed you to be of him." Renji said almost longingly as he turned away from them and carried on walking leaving the other two a little puzzled at his behavior.

Inui and Kaidoh looked at each other in silent bafflement before realizing that they were being left behind. They had nearly caught up to the Rikkaidai strategist when they heard someone yell from the street ahead of them.

"NO! RYOMA DON'T GO WITH HIM HE'S DANGEROUS!"

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"This is unacceptable!" Atobe fumed outside of the fenced construction zone.

"Keigo calm down. Low budget apartments with a daycare in the building are a good thing for the court to be turned into if it had to go." Sanada said trying to soothe one of his lovers.

The other two hadn't said a word since they'd parked and walked down to find the beginnings of a building where the tennis court had once been. Tezuka appeared unruffled to anyone who didn't know his intimately but to his lovers he looked both worried and more than a little sad that a memorable place had been destroyed. Fuji had simply taken his hand and held it tightly occasionally rubbing his thumb across the back of it in a comforting gesture. Despite the quiet none of them were really surprised when Fuji's cell phone went off or that he answered it without letting go of Tezuka.

"Nee-san, do you have anything?" he asked after seeing the name on the screen.

"Shusuke I'm really worried. I was performing another reading when a candle tipped over and rolled across the cards. It touched several of them but it lit only one on fire. The ten of swords. When I put it out the smoke formed one of the shadows I saw in my dream. Shusuke I'm sorry but something really horrible is going to happen unless it's stopped. Echizen needs to be found and found _now_." Yumiko said over the line nearly in tears.

"Dammit! Nee-san we have no leads. We don't know where to look! We… we don't know him as well as we thought…" Shusuke said as his voice nearly broke with the pain of the thoughts running through his mind. Tezuka's hand tightened on his trying to be reassuring but failing miserably.

"Shusuke… I don't know what to tell you. Honey I'm sorry but the cards just aren't telling me where he is…"

"We'll find him Nee-san. We have to… I've got to go, we need to check with the other's." Shusuke managed to say, barely keeping his voice steady, before he hung up a moment later.

Again no one said anything but Tezuka drew Fuji into his arms and just held him close trying to comfort both himself and one of his lovers. He didn't have to look to know that Sanada was holding Atobe in the same way but the two of them shared a look of support and love over the shorter two's heads. Surprisingly it was Sanada's cell phone that rang next and he had to maneuver a little to answer it while still holding the Hyotei captain.

"Genichirou, its Seiichi. We saw him, but we have a big problem."

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"Akaya what do you mean he's dangerous. Who the hell was that?" Yukimura demanded in a tone that commanded it be obeyed.

"That was Nanako-san's boyfriend. She's Ryoma's cousin but her boyfriend is definitely someone he wouldn't have willingly gotten in a car with. What the fuck just happened? Ryoma hates him… he's actually scared of him and for damn good reason." Kirihara tried to explain.

"What reason Akaya? What is going on?"

"That's what we'd like to know. Where did Echizen go and who did you say he was with?" Inui demanded as he, Kaidoh, and Renji ran up.

"He got into a car with Himura Taro, Nanako-san's steady boyfriend. But he's dangerous. Really, _really,_ dangerous. He tried to run Ryoma over in that car once and he tried to dump Karupin in the river. Ryoma didn't press charges because there were no witnesses. It was his word against that bastard's and Nanako-san just brushes it off as jealousy or something whenever Ryoma tries to tell her about him. So do his parents. I'm the only one he's told the full truth to." Kirihara explained quickly to his two teammates and to the two Seigaku players.

"Fsshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Why would Echizen get in a car with him then? How could I let this happen?!" Kaidoh burst out completely terrified for Ryoma and for himself as well.

"Let this happen?.. never mind we'll discuss that later. Right now I need to make a phone call." Yukimura said with a look that promised a long talk later as he took out his phone.

"Genichirou, its Seiichi. We saw him, but we have a big problem. Ryoma seems to have gotten in a 2004 black Toyota Solara convertible with his cousins boyfriend who Akaya says has tried to badly injure or kill both Ryoma and his cat. We're five blocks from Kotto street, by Kawamura Sushi."

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**The following is one meaning of the Ten of Swords Tarot Card.**

**All they that take the sword, it has been said, shall perish with the sword, and the Ten of Swords is a card that show us the real-life implications of this proverb. This is the ultimate manifestation of the Swords suit and its negative, destructive power. Even though only one sword would be needed to kill this man, ten were used: he has not simply been killed, but annihilated. The Ace of Swords was a warning about using excessive force for evil purposes and the Ten is the inevitable result of that abuse of power. Those who refuse to listen to the wisdom of the Swords will eventually be impaled on them. **

**This card usually symbolizes a sudden and unexpected failure or disaster, a power beyond your control that humbles you without warning or mercy. Karma, the law of cause and effect, has free reign in the Ten of Swords, so a past misdeed may indeed be the source of future trouble. Sometimes you will be able to change this outcome, but most of the time you will simply have to bear down and take the hit. The positive side is that the Ten of Swords is the final ordeal, and no more pain will come to you from that source. It is darkest before the dawn, and as gloomy as it looks, the sun will rise again. **

**Something that is important to note, at least in the Rider-Waite symbology, is that the sun is indeed rising in the background despite the black clouds. Each new beginning must come from another beginning's end, and with every defeat are sown the seeds of future victory. Enlightenment comes from using your mental and spiritual powers for good, and this is the true lesson of the Swords suit. This card is the ultimate teacher, and it shows you how to learn from your mistakes and misdeeds so you never have to fall prey to the evil side of the Swords suit again. **

**When this card appears after a painful situation, it is a signal to pick yourself up off the ground and start thinking about what happened to you and what you have to learn from it. Hidden deep beneath the surface of the Ten of Swords is the ultimate power of the Swords suit: the ability to analyze your ways and learn from yourself. True wisdom does not come from without, but from within. The Ten of Swords is a sign that what you have gone through was not without purpose. The great positive power within you can be used to learn from your pain and draw wisdom from defeat. This is the Swords ideal. **

_**This information was made by James Rioux (The Black Shadow), bshadownbnet.nb.ca.  
Copyright 2000 James Rioux.**_


	10. Nervous Habits

_**I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to update. I have no real excuse, but that my life has been really hectic this last year and between exhaustion, accidents, writers block, surgeries, work and suicidal computers I simply have not had the time. Again, I am sorry.**_

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Oishi was quite surprised to end up in the same place as Yukimura, Kirihara, Kaidoh, Inui, and Yanagi. He was even more surprised to find the majority of the two teams of searchers just standing there looking defeated as Yukimura asked Kirihara something that made the boy go pale.

"You might be right Yukimura-sempai. It would make sense, in a strange way, but why would Ryoma get in his car?" Kirihara said as they drew near enough to hear.

"Hoi! Why are you calling O'chibi by his first name?!" and enraged Eiji demanded, charging up to Kirihara. The once red eyed boy looked at the redhead in surprise though his expression quickly turned to disdain.

"I have every right to call _my_ friend by his name; unlike you who first nicknamed him before you even knew him for a full day and later used his name without permission. What even gives you the right to interrupt a _private_ conversation?!" Kirihara snapped turning on the agility player.

He would have continued his tirade against the Seigaku team member but was instantly calmed by a hand on his shoulder.

"Akaya, calm down and stay focused, Seigaku is not our rival in this." Yukimura commanded however he soothed the boy at the same time by stroking his shoulder with his thumb. Kirihara seemed to lean into the touch slightly before quickly holding himself stiff.

Oishi meanwhile had pulled Eiji back a bit and gave a small bow to the other two as means of an apology, and in return received a nod from the Rikkaidai captain. Before he could open his mouth to politely ask what the Rikkaidai duo had been talking about, Inui stepped up and took over the conversation.

"Details about relationships and fault can be discussed later, for now I would like the information you have on the man Ryoma just left with and any other data you think pertinent to this situation." The statistics player spoke with authority as he closed his hidden eyes and pushed his glasses up his nose. When he looked again he discovered that something had happened in that short moment.

Kaidoh and Kirihara were gone.

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Having been at the school for quite some time with no news, Momoshiro was surprised when his phone interrupted the training match between Ann and her brother. He stopped in the middle of calling out advice to the young girl to answer the incessantly ringing object. The moment he picked it up though, he didn't get a chance to say anything.

"Momoshiro, Ryoma has been taken by Meino-sans boyfriend. According to Yukimura and Kirihara they were headed in your direction. Leave one of you at the school, the rest of you split up and look for him. Stop that man by any means necessary." Tezuka's voice ordered over the line.

"Hai Buchou. What is he driving do you know?"

"A black Solara convertible. Keep in contact; I want to hear any news as soon as it happens."

"Hai Buchou. Most likely we'll be leaving Ann-chan here at the school to keep an eye out, the rest of us will look for them in this area." Momo explained before hanging up and explaining to the others he was with. They agreed, though Ann was a little miffed at being told to stay put, and the four boys were soon running off in different directions.

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Had he not been seated in the limousine with a Himalayan cat in his lap Kunimitsu had to admit that he would have given into his rarely seen nervous habit by now. It was something only his grandparents had seen him do and he had confidence that not even his lovers knew he paced when he could do nothing else to calm his anxiousness. Shusuke had nearly caught him at it once but he'd just sat down when the other came in. Right now though he truly didn't care who knew that he was human in his worry, not that he wanted to seem inhuman but it did no one any good to increase their own stress by showing his. Right now he cared more about finding Ryoma and getting him away from the supposed monster that had him, as did the others it seemed. Looking around at the three seated near him he found Keigo biting his nails, Shusuke strumming his fingers against his knees, and Genichirou squirming. All of these habits were nearly unheard of in his three lovers, but intense situations changed things. He couldn't help but wonder what Ryoma's nervous tendency would be.

"Kunimitsu you're biting your lip." Keigo told him quietly as though he'd been following Kunimitsu's observations.

"What do you think his habit would be in this case?" Kunimitsu asked ignoring Keigo's comment.

He didn't have to expand on who he was referring to.

"If he couldn't play tennis at the time, he would have Karupin in his arms." Genichirou answered first, receiving nods from the others.

"I've seen him tense before, even after he exhausted himself practicing, he was curled up with her on the window seat in our room. Ore-sama couldn't get him to respond to anything for half an hour. Then he went and took a bath with a tennis ball." Atobe reminisced.

"What was he upset about that day?" Genichirou queried.

"Ore-sama doesn't remember."

"I remember that day, his anger was showing through in his shots while we were practicing. I had to send him to run laps so that he could cool down and concentrate. He almost let Horio beat him he was so unfocused." Kunimitsu recalled.

"It was his brother." Shusuke elucidated making the other three turn and stare at him.

"You mean Ryoga?" Genichirou, who had been filled in on the older boy, and the cruise ship fiasco, but had never met him, questioned.

"Yes. Ryoga has been in contact with Ryoma since the cruise. That day he was scheduled to come for a visit with Ryoma and his family, but he never showed. When Ryoma called him and demanded an answer all he said was that he simply didn't have time to waste on Ryoma and he hung up. He called Ryoma a week later to explain better about the situation he was in at the time, and to apologize, but I don't think Ryoma has trusted him since." Shusuke elaborated.

"Keigo, are the roadblocks still in place? He can't take him out of the city can he?" Kunimitsu asked suddenly.

"Yes, of course. Ore-sama was assured that they would not be removed until Ryoma is found. However Ore-sama will call and ensure that while they continue to thoroughly search every vehicle they pay extra attention to black convertibles." Keigo replied before carrying out the conversation implied.

"Once my people find out about this man we will find Ryoma if we do not catch him before that. There are only so many places he can go right now, and we know all of them." the platinum haired boy said with a glint in his eyes.

"I only hope we make it in time." Shusuke responded thinking about his sister's ominous dream. If Ryoma's day was following it, then they were facing the biggest threat to their young lover that they could imagine.

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